Improvement in toy-toads



l JAMES FA'LLOWS Toy Toad. N0. 118,441. Paentved -u'g. 29,1871.

'Wnessem INVENTOR:

PATENT CFFCE.

JAMES FALLOWS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN TOY-TQADS.

t Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,441, dated August29, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jiri/ms FALLows, of the city of Philadelphia, in theState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in theToyT0ad, of which the following is a specification My improvementsrelate to the toy in which a toad is caused to advance quickly from itsden against a fixed or rigid upright having a projecting shelfl uponwhich a penny (the object to be seized as prey) is loosely placed forthe purpose, and by the sudden impact, consequent uponthe advance of thetoad being thus suddenly checked, causes the said penny to be projectedinto the open mouth and throat of the animal; and my invention consistsin the construction and arrangement, in combination with a toy-toad andcase, ofthe certain devices, hereinafter described, whereby the toadadvances, seizes, and swallows the penny, and instantly backs with itinto its den and there drops it through an opening in the case; theobject of my invention being the production of a moreperfectly-operating and interesting toy for children.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, of nearly full size, embodying myinvention, the rear side of the case and den being removed in order toshow the interior. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the top of the case Withoutthe toad and den, and of like size with Fig. l. Figs. 3, 4, 5 aredetached parts of of the mouth and throat of the toad enlarged to fullsize. Fig. 6 is a vertical central section (longitudinal) of the fixedupright for holding the penny. Y

The case A is an oblong box entirely open at its bottom, and having inits slightly-sunken top a central longitudinal slot, a, extending fromthe upright penny-holder a" near the one end to a large circularopening, a", at vthe other end. Over the latter is an arched roof orcovering, a4, which forms the den of the toad B. The animal isixedrigidly upon a plate of sheet metal, b', which will be free to slidealong on the top of the case A, and is iixed, by connections passingthrough the slot a', to an under plate, b, from which latter projectdownward the two stems b b4, so that all may move together steadily. Thestem b4is connected to the den end of the case A at 5 by means of ashort cord or strip, 6, of gumelastic. (See Fig. 1.) To hooks at theopposite end of Aa small ring of elastic gum, 7, is attached,

which can be stretched by ones iin ger so as to be readily slipped upover lower end of stem b" and be thus retained when the toad is in theden a4, as shown in the same gure. Across the bottom of the case A, nearits penny-holder end, there is fixed a bar, S, in a position a littlelower down in the case than the lower end of the stem b, so that when'the toad is drawn forward by the elastic ring 7 nearly to the extent ofthe slot a the said cross-bar 8 (being above the said elastic ring) willpush the latter down oifof the stein b, and thus permit the thenstretched and tightened cord 6 to contract and suddenly draw the toad Bback into its den a4, where it will be retained by the catch-hook 9,which passes over and catches behind a cross-bar, 0, at that end of thecase A. The upright a" has a projecting shelf, 10, and a cap-plate, 1l,connected together at their side edges so as to leave an open spacebetween them in front for the reception and support of a penny, 12, insuch a manner that while the latter will be loose yet it will beprevented from being easily thrown off laterally. The mouth .and throatof the toad B is produced by cutting sheet metal into the form shown inFig. 3, then bending each of the tongues C C upward to a right anglewith the part c', which forms the lower jaw of the toad. The two parts CG are then bent in ward toward each other and so as to form springswhich will part readily by the entrance of the penny between them as thetoad springs upon it for the purpose, and close around it sufficientlyto prevent a withdrawal of the same as the toad immediately afterwardsprings back again into its den. rIhis lower jaw is soldered fast to thethroat-piece of the toad so as to leave a sufficiently open spacebetween the two jaws for a mouth, into which the penny with itssupporting and holding-plates l0 11 may freely enter.

In operating this toy, the toad beingheld in posi tion in the den a4bythe hook 9, the elastic ring 7 is, by ones linger, stretched alongiuider the crossbar 8 and slipped up over the lower end of stem b". Thepenny l2 is then placed between the plates l0 11 of the upright a", andwhen the catch-hook 9 is detached from its cross-bar o the toad springsforward, takes in the penny, and immediatelyis drawn back into its denby the springcord 6, the elastic ring 7 being just previously detachedfrom the stem 71 by the cross-bar 8, and the penny drops down throughthe hole a.

I am aware that a patent was granted to George E. Brigman, dated August16, 1870, for certain arrangements and combinations of mechanicaldevices with a toy-toad, whereby the toad is caused to suddenly slideforward, strike a lever and platform7 and then slightly rebound in sucha manner that a penny or other object laid on the platform will beprojected by said lever into the open mouth of the toad, which latterhas then to be drawn back and reset by hand for repeating the operation.Therefore, I do not desire to claim said combinations and arrangements;but

What I desire to secure by Letters Patent is confined to the following:

' l. In combination'with the upright a, the two projecting plates 10 1l,connected together at their sides and left separate in front, substansetforth.

JAMES FALLOWS.

" Witnesses Y:V

BENJ. MoRIsoN,

WM. H. MoRIsoN.

